The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Certificate of Convenience and Public Necessity to the Mountain Valley pipeline project in 2017, authorizing new construction of a 300-mile natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia. Several environmental and citizen groups challenged the FERC decision in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Among many issues raised, the petitioners argued that FERC failed to properly consider downstream impacts on climate change resulting from the combustion of gas transported by the new pipeline, as required by the Court’s 2017 decision in Sierra Club v. FERC. On February 19, 2019, the D.C. Circuit issued a short (five page) decision in the Mountain Valley case, Appalachian Voices et al v. FERC . The decision summarily dismissed all sixteen of the petitioners’ challenges to FERC’s Order.

In yet another development relating to Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 water quality certifications, a recent policy directive from the Department of the Army could impose tighter timeframes for a state to review whether projects comply with state water quality standards. The U.S. Department of the Army has issued a policy directive memorandum requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to adhere to a “default time period” of 60 days for states to act on a request for water quality certification under CWA Section 401 in conjunction with USACE’s issuance of dredge and fill permits under CWA Section 404. The directive also requires USACE to “immediately draft guidance” to establish criteria for USACE District Engineers to identify circumstances that may warrant additional time for states to decide on an application for water quality certification. Continue Reading USACE to Impose 60 Day Period on State Water Quality Certification Review

The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that states review all federal permits involving water discharges to certify that those permits do not conflict with state water quality standards (WQS). 33 U.S.C. § 1341. The statute further provides that if a State “fails or refuses to act on a request for certification, within a reasonable period of time (which shall not exceed one year) after receipt of such request, the certification requirements of this subsection shall be waived with respect to such Federal application.” Id. For pipeline projects, this ‘Section 401’ authority was not historically a significant issue, as most federal permits already anticipated and ensured compliance with state WQS. In recent years, however, opponents of new or expanded pipeline projects have sought to use Section 401 as an additional point of challenge, seeking to stop or delay pipeline project permitting. In a decision issued just last week – although not in a pipeline case – the D.C. Circuit provided the most recent clarification on the issue, admonishing states that the one year timeframe is “absolute.” Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC, No. 14-1271 (D.C. Cir., Jan. 25, 2019).Continue Reading D.C. Circuit Clarifies that States have Maximum of One Year to Decide on Water Quality Certification Applications

The federal Pipeline Safety Act (PSA or the Act) mandates minimum safety standards for pipelines and certain associated storage and facilities (including LNG and other terminals). Congress should take up legislation to reauthorize the Act this year. Since the last reauthorization in 2016, there have been several noteworthy developments that have affected the industry, the relevant politics and the public. These include a new Administration, new leadership in relevant administrative agencies (e.g., DOT, PHMSA, FERC), policy changes, continued opposition to new pipeline construction, a high-profile distribution incident in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts, and, most recently, Democratic control of the House of Representatives. It remains to be seen whether Congress will impose new substantive amendments to the PSA, but it is likely that some significant changes will be proposed. While the reauthorization proposals could vary, we expect to see discussion related to distribution pipelines (aging infrastructure, replacement projects, overpressure protection); construction issues; valves, emergency response and pressure protection; outstanding rulemakings; and updates to PHMSA procedural rules. Other issues that could be part of the discussion include cybersecurity, state oversight of pipeline safety, and older proposals from prior reauthorizations.

Status of Outstanding Mandates

The 116th Congress, which convened in January, will be responsible for reauthorizing the PSA and PHMSA, the agency responsible for oversight of pipeline safety. The current reauthorization expires on September 30, 2019. Historically, pipeline safety has largely been a bipartisan issue. The most recent substantive changes to the PSA occurred in the 2012 reauthorization in response to the San Bruno, California and Marshall, Michigan incidents. Following that, PHMSA initiated the process for several expansive rulemakings, some of which still remain incomplete. In the 2016 reauthorization, Congress mandated updates for the Agency’s outstanding rulemakings and made other changes to require minimum federal standards for underground natural gas storage (in response to the Aliso Canyon incident). Sixty-one (61) legislative mandates were issued in the 2012 and 2016 reauthorizations, including rulemaking changes, studies, or other regulatory reviews. As of this summer, PHMSA had implemented only forty-seven (47) of these to date. Of the roughly fourteen (14) mandates that remain to be addressed, the issues include rules intended to address records and inspections issues highlighted by both the San Bruno and Marshall, Michigan incidents.

Political Backdrop

There are three committees that oversee PSA reauthorization and will be influential in drafting and finalizing reauthorization. These include: (1) House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee; (2) House Energy and Commerce Committee; and (3) Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Of these three committees, thirteen (13) members have either retired or lost their primaries, thus the industry will be dealing with many new lawmakers and their unique perspectives. While the exact composition of the House committees is not yet known, Representative DeFazio (D-OR) has been elected as chairman of the T&I Committee and Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) are members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; all three have in the past been critical of PHMSA and existing pipeline safety protections. Meanwhile, Senator Manchin (D-WV), who has been sympathetic to pipeline infrastructure and industry issues in the past, is the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has some oversight of pipelines and pipeline issues. In addition, Senators Warren (D-MA) and Booker (D-NJ), both of whom are expected to be candidates for President in 2020, have been active of late in demanding increased government control of pipeline safety issues.

In recent years, Congress has been critical of PHMSA in oversight hearings due to its delayed response to statutory mandates from prior reauthorizations, and delayed response to NTSB, GAO and DOT OIG recommendations. This year’s reauthorization will be no different, as evidenced by a June, 2018 hearing convened by the House T&I Committee, where representatives from both parties expressed sharp concern over PHMSA’s delay in addressing past legislative mandates. The House will certainly also raise the other as yet unaddressed mandates and recommendations from the NTSB and GAO. More recently, there was a November 2018 field hearing on the Merrimack Valley incident, that signaled open season on PSA reauthorization.

Potential Reauthorization Issues

Industry trade groups have already been preparing for and working on proposals associated with the PSA reauthorization, which are not likely to contain significant changes, but more minor proposed changes such as amendments to PHMSA procedural rules. PHMSA has likely prepared or is in the process of preparing its own list of issues. In light of the above, some issues that we anticipate could to be raised during the PSA reauthorization process include the following:

Distribution Pipelines

If not more generally, we expect Congress to discuss the following issues specific to gas distribution pipelines:

Aging Infrastructure/Pipe Replacement

Aging infrastructure is an issue that has been raised for some time, but the recent Merrimack Valley incident, where the pipeline distribution operator was in the process of upgrading and retiring older infrastructure, has brought it back into focus particularly for distribution pipelines. Relevant proposals, which could apply more broadly, may relate to pipe replacement (which is currently voluntary for cast iron pipe although many states provide incentives), requirements specific to pipeline modernization projects and work packages, records, safety management systems, etc.

Overpressure Protection

The NTSB investigation into the Merrimack Valley incident is ongoing, but among the preliminary issues identified by the NTSB is detection of abnormal system pressure. As a result, we expect discussion and debate regarding the sufficiency of overpressure protection for distribution pipeline systems as well as emergency response and monitoring of overpressure protection.

Construction Issues

While PHMSA does not have express siting authority for the construction of new pipelines, it maintains construction and design regulations that would apply to those pipelines. Further, the industry has recently experienced some challenges associated with pipeline construction or infrastructure updates, and as a result there may be specific proposals along those lines. These may relate to work plans, subsidence, directional drills, oversight of contractors, management of change procedures, etc.

Emergency Shutdown Valves, Communications and Overpressure Protection

PHMSA has been working on proposing an automatic shut-off or remote-controlled valve (ACV/RCV) rule regarding rupture detection since 2013 and expects to issue the proposal in 2019. If the proposed rule does not issue prior to PSA reauthorization legislation, we expect the topic to be included in legislation drafts. The Merrimack Valley incident also brought to light issues associated with the operator’s incident response and communications, which may be a topic of the discussions. Further, in light of the preliminary findings of the Merrimack Valley NTSB investigation, it is possible that pressure detection, monitoring, and overpressure protection will be discussed as they apply more broadly to pipeline systems.

Outstanding Rules tied to Statutory Mandates

As noted above, numerous key mandates remain unaddressed from prior PSA reauthorizations, a number of which were intended to focus on records and inspection issues arising from high profile incidents. Most notably, these include finalizing the hazardous liquid rule (which was expected before the end of 2018) and the ‘gas mega rule;’ the latter has been split into three rulemakings and is still working its way through the pipeline advisory committee process under the PSA (now on hold because of the government shutdown). Because PHMSA has already failed to meet relevant deadlines, Congress may impose new deadlines with updates to Congress. Further, reauthorization discussion may analyze what some critics have cited as challenges under the PSA to PHMSA rulemaking, including balancing safety risks against the economic benefits.

State Involvement

When certified by PHMSA (and at times even where they are not certified by PHMSA), states are increasingly active in pipeline safety through construction inspections, general oversight and enforcement authority, and incident response. Some states have broadly interpreted their jurisdiction under the PSA and authority under state statutes. Past reauthorization changes touched upon and expanded in part the ability of a state to participate in pipeline safety. In addition, a 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommended that PHMSA develop an inspection workforce plan to ensure that it maintains an adequate mix of federal and state resources for interstate pipelines. Legislative proposals may be drafted in light of GAO’s recommendations and to ensure that state pipeline safety programs include adequate training and other measures to ensure consistency in application of PHMSA rules and enforcement.

Cybersecurity

There has been some debate recently regarding whether the pipeline industry has sufficient protections in place to ensure reliability. Targeting of pipeline infrastructure technology and operational monitoring programs (such as SCADA) by foreign nation states and other bad actors is not new, although intrusions continue. In addition, the GAO issued a report that determined that the Transportation Safety Administration charged with pipeline security oversight (in part and in coordination with PHMSA), is not doing enough to face future challenges. House Energy and Commerce Committee members reintroduced legislation intended to increase federal protections protecting pipelines from cyber threats that could disrupt operations and some have called for changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ranking Senate Committee members Cantwell (D-WA) and Manchin (D-WV) with oversight of pipelines have called for a response from DHS. It is also possible that associated changes could be proposed since PHMSA participates in oversight of pipeline security, primarily as it relates to physical security (as opposed to cybersecurity), and since the subject of the cyber intrusions are operational programs required by PHMSA rules.

Summary

It is likely that some potentially significant changes to the pipeline safety rules could be proposed in the upcoming Pipeline Safety Act reauthorization (or other legislation coming out of the 116th Congress). This is particularly true considering the recent Merrimack Valley distribution pipeline incident, the newly divided Congress, and the country’s increased reliance on natural gas and oil over coal. While the PSA reauthorization proposals could vary, we expect discussion specific to distribution pipelines and issues highlighted by the Merrimack Valley incident, construction issues, valves/overpressure protection, outstanding rulemakings, as well as updates to PHMSA procedural rules. Other issues could include cybersecurity, state oversight of pipeline safety, and older proposals from prior reauthorizations. If not in the PSA reauthorization, some of these more general issues such pipeline construction and cybersecurity may get traction in an energy bill which is likely to include some form of infrastructure package.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) officially announced that it is going to review its policy framework for certification of new interstate natural gas and LNG pipelines in the U.S. and issued a Notice of Inquiry (Notice or NOI). This is the first time in nearly twenty years that FERC will examine its pipeline review and approval policy, last issued in 1999. Kevin McIntyre, the current FERC Chairman, said review of the policy is intended to determine ‘whether, and if so, how’ any changes should be made in the evaluation of new pipeline projects. The NOI establishes a 60-day public comment period, beginning with publication in the Federal Register, thus the deadline for comments is June 25, 2018.

The U.S. DOT and 10 other federal agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 9, 2018, which became effective on April 10, 2018. The MOU[1] is intended to implement Executive Order 13807 (Aug. 15, 2017), which established a “One Federal Decision” policy for infrastructure projects that require authorizations by multiple federal agencies. Under the MOU, a lead federal agency must be designated to be responsible for addressing compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the preparation of a single Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The lead agency will establish a single Permitting Timetable that all federal agencies must follow. The MOU mandates that all federal authorizations must be resolved within 90 days of issuance of the lead agency’s Record of Decision (ROD) on the EIS, with limited exceptions.

There have been problems on large pipeline construction projects in recent years getting all federal agencies to agree on an approach to permitting review and timetables. The MOU addresses that by requiring all agencies to work on a single approach and timeline, and to develop the policies necessary to do so. It also requires all environmental review to be complete no later than two years from issuance of a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for a new project. Additionally, the MOU specifies three “concurrence points” at which all involved agencies are requested to reach consensus on NEPA project review and approval: (1) Purpose and Need; (2) identification of Alternatives; and (3) selection of the Preferred Alternative.

For new natural gas pipeline construction projects, FERC will continue to be the lead agency preparing an EIS, but any cooperating agencies must now comply with a uniform schedule for review and input. Although not required by the MOU, state, local and tribal agencies will be invited to voluntarily participate in the single permitting timetable process.

The MOU was welcomed by many as a means to achieve permit streamlining, a concept that Congress has attempted to address over the years, as noted in our prior posts regarding both House and Senate efforts [see prior pipelaws posts, August 4, 2017, July 5, 2017]. It also harkens to President Trump’s January 2017 Presidential Memorandum addressing permit streamlining for domestic manufacturing. As a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said of this new MOU, “It shouldn’t take longer to approve a project than to build it.” Opponents of new infrastructure projects, including pipelines, note that the courts are still deliberating on whether and to what extent large projects need to consider climate change impacts under NEPA. Challenges such as that are not addressed directly by the MOU, but in theory the MOU will foster a consolidated position by all federal agencies involved.

While the MOU stands to improve the coordination and timing among federal agencies, it is only aspirational, speaking in terms of “goals” and “milestones” that are ultimately non-binding. It may also place more burdens on project applicants, to ensure that all agencies are, in fact, coordinating and adhering to the timetable, etc., and that any disputes are identified and resolved in a timely manner.

In addition, challenges to permits and approvals at the local and state level will be unaffected by this MOU. New infrastructure projects continue to face opposition by environmental or citizen groups, and increasingly states too have posed challenges to large scale projects. For example, as noted in our prior post of July 5, 2017, projects such as Millennium Pipeline Company that received prior FERC approval have found themselves in the U.S. Courts of Appeals addressing state challenges. The Second Circuit recently issued a favorable decision in the Mellennium appeal , however, holding firm to the plain language in the Clean Water Act that the timeline for a state’s action in response to a request for a water quality certification is one year from receipt of the request.

[1] The MOU was signed by the heads of the Department of Transportation; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Energy; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Department of the Interior; Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council.

Building off of President Trump’s “Made in America” campaign commitment, the Trump Administration issued a tariff on steel imports on March 8, 2018. The proclamation finds that the imposition of duties on steel articles is necessary to ensure that steel imports will not threaten national security and, effective March 23, 2018, steel imports will be subject to a twenty-five (25) percent ad valorem tariff, except for imports from Canada and Mexico. The proclamation also authorizes the Commerce Department to grant exclusions from the tariffs of affected parties (1) if the steel at issue is determined not to be produced in the U.S. in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality; or (2) based upon specific national security considerations. The President directed the Commerce Department to promulgate regulations as necessary to set forth the procedures for an exclusion process.

Prior to the effective date of the tariff, the Department of Commerce issued an interim final rule (IFR) to outline exclusions and the exclusion application process (set forth as a supplement to 15 C.F.R. Part 705). The IFR was issued without notice and comment and became immediately effective when published on March 19, 2018. While the IFR tracks the limited exclusions in the proclamation, much remains unclear with regard to the process and the likelihood of success for industry applicants. An exclusion will only be granted on a case by case basis where an article is not produced in the U.S. in a “sufficient and reasonably available amount,” is not produced in the U.S. in a “satisfactory quality,” or for a “specific national security consideration.” The IFR does not clarify the meaning of these terms or provide the industry with illustrative examples. The form for filing an exclusion request requires information such as the average annual consumption of the product at issue for the past two years, time involved in delivery, manufacture, and shipment of the product from a foreign suppliers, specifics about the physical properties of the product, and detailed U.S. product availability information (including attempts to qualify a US steel manufacturer or procure the steel from a US manufacturer).

The rule also establishes limits on who can request an exclusion and the scope of any exclusion. Exclusions are limited to individuals or organizations using steel articles in business activities (e.g., construction, manufacturing, or supplying steel to users). Approvals of exclusions will be specific to the individual or entity who submitted the request, unless Commerce approves a broader application of the exclusion to apply to other importers. Objections may be filed by any individual or organization, but Commerce will only consider information directly related to the submitted exclusion request.

The IFR states that “follow-on” requesters to exclusions that are approved will be taken into consideration, but signals that approval will depend on the strength of a requester’s application which may potentially set the stage for inconsistent results. Exclusion requests, objections and comments on the IFR will be public and located in the federal register docket. The rule establishes a 30 day period for individuals or organizations to file objections (from posting of the exclusion request) and a 90 day period for the Department to review and adjudicate any objections to an exclusion request. Responses approving exclusion requests will be effective within 5 days and will generally be approved for one year. Commerce estimates that it will receive tariff exclusion requests from 4,500 applicants. To date, no requests have been posted to the federal docket associated with steel import exclusions.

The Administration’s January 2017 Executive Memorandum requiring that all new and repaired pipe be made in the U.S. and the issue of steel tariffs have been the subject of much comment by the pipeline industry. Industry operators and trade groups have argued that such requirements will result in construction delays, project cancellations, higher costs and consumer impacts if they are implemented. There are major constraints on the procurement of adequate quantities of line pipe materials and equipment in the U.S., due to the unavailability of U.S. made pipe at necessary technical specifications and in time to meet market demands and/or regulatory requirements. It remains uncertain whether the Commerce Department’s IFR will resolve any of these concerns, if it will be subject to judicial challenge or whether the exclusion process will prove to be workable for industry.

The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced a series of public teleconferences for stakeholder input on recommendations to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. This definition is critical to the determination of whether wetlands or water discharge permits are required for construction projects or operations across all industries. In total, there will be ten teleconferences beginning on September 19, 2017, nine of which will be tailored to a specific industry sector and one of which will be open to the public at large (see summary below). The session specific to the energy, chemical and oil and gas industries is scheduled for October 24, 2017. The teleconferences will run throughout the fall on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 pm eastern. Continue Reading Stakeholder Meetings Scheduled for Revised Waters of the U.S. Rule

On August 3, 2017, the Senate confirmed both Neil Chatterjee (R) and Robert Powelson (R) as FERC Commissioners, returning FERC to a quorum after six months. FERC has been unable to issue major decisions without a quorum, although staff work has continued to work on a variety of fronts, including issuing environmental reviews for various pipeline construction and other energy projects. The Senate confirmations should be a relief for the energy industry, which has been subject to prolonged uncertainty as major project approvals have been at a standstill since February.

The quorum will be restored as soon as Chatterjee and Powelson are sworn in, which historically has taken from one to three weeks. The confirmation of the nominations of Chatterjee, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Powelson, a Pennsylvania regulator, brings the Commission to 3 members of what is typically a 5 member Commission. Trump previously announced nominations of Kevin McIntyre (R), an energy lawyer in private practice, and Richard Glick (D), a Senate aide, for the two remaining vacancies weeks ago, but only nominated them formally this week. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing on those nominations for September 7, 2017.

On July 19, 2017, the U.S. House voted to give lead authority for authorizing cross border oil and gas pipelines to FERC, and to the Secretary of Energy for cross border electric transmission lines. HR 2883, entitled Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, removes the requirement for such cross border energy infrastructure to obtain Presidential Permits and instead establishes a 120 day review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Natural Gas Act to obtain a “Certificate of Crossing.”

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